


You can be that person again

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Basically a new point of view for the whole Darth-Vader-redemption scene, Gen, the skywalker family tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25618789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Was his son right? Was there still a bit of... Anakin left in him?He hadn't used that name in forever. Never spoken it. Never heard it. Never looked back from where he was.But it was different now that he heard it for the first time in years. Spoken to him by his own son."That name is just a fragment of the past," he informed him."No," Luke insisted. "There is still good in you - I can feel it."He paused. "It is too late for me, son," he told Luke. He shut out any conflict inside him and proceeded."It's a rewrite of that one scene, but it's from Darth Vader's point of view. Probably won't be exactly the same, but some key quotes.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker
Kudos: 8





	You can be that person again

He was doing his job. Walking down a hallway. With a prisoner.

It shouldn't have been any different this time. He'd done this before; bringing prisoners to the emperor. Maybe it was how powerful the prisoner was, and how it mirrored his own power. Maybe it was how irritatingly calm the prisoner was. Maybe it was because the prisoner -

\- was _just_ a prisoner. _Don't go down that road_ , he chided himself. _It's the reason you didn't kill him last time_.

 _No_ , he argued with himself. _That was because I wanted to turn him._

 _And if you can't_? He pointed out.

He would kill him.

He had no other intentions.

So he could just stop thinking and do his -

"Father."

\- job...

He took a deep breath, every thought he'd just pushed away flooding back to him. "So you've accepted the truth?"

Luke stared straight ahead. "I have accepted the truth that you were at one point the good man Anakin Skywalker who was my father."

The name hit him like a blow.

Was his son right? Was there still a bit of... _Anakin_ left in him?

He hadn't used that name in forever. Never spoken it. Never heard it. Never looked back from where he was.

But it was different now that he heard it for the first time in years.

"That name is just a fragment of the past," he informed him.

"No," Luke insisted. "There is still good in you - I can _feel_ it."

He paused. "It is too late for me, son," he told Luke. He shut out any conflict inside him and proceeded.

\---

The emperor was doing his best to turn him.

That was a good thing.

That way, he could side with his son.

Luke was annoyingly calm, refusing to hate or lose himself. Until he grabbed his lightsaber and turned to _him_. Darth Vader.

This again?

He thrust himself into the fight, giving it everything in himself. Not thinking about the fact that it was his own son. It was just another prisoner; another person to turn over. He did _not_ love him at all. He did not love anybody.

So why in the _galaxy_ was this so hard for him to do?

It couldn't possibly be the familial connection. Darth Vader did not do familial connection. Or any other sort of connection.

"There _is_ good inside you! I can feel the conflict!"

If Luke was as strong as he was, he wouldn't be able to hide that from him for very much longer. The thoughts of how it changed the whole task for it to be his son.

"There is no conflict!" He collapsed what Luke was standing on. And there it -

Luke came right out of it and continued pressing up against him violently before shoving him over and slicing off his arm. _Good. Very good._

So why was he still uneasy?

Luke had paused to think. He saw him looking at his own fake hand, and then at the mark _he_ had left. There was regret.

Regret was not good for changing sides.

Luke refused to be any worse. And Emperor Palpatine decided that was his cue to torture him and eventually kill him.

There was emotion inside of him, something that made him upset he hadn't been able to turn his son. So now he had to die. That was how it worked. Join or die. That was the _only_ way it _ever_ worked.

But he was just so messed up by his son using his former name earlier.

And then the more heartbreaking cry of all came: "Father... save me..."

If something could break his heart, he had one.

Maybe he did do familial connection.

Family - _that_ was where he drew the line. He could not allow his son to die.

Maybe Luke had been right. Somebody else felt like this when he killed people - somebody else was the family. Maybe darkness just wasn't the answer to power. Maybe it was just simple destruction that led to this.

"And now you die."

 _And now you die_.

He'd said it before.

Now...

"No."

The Emperor looked over at him as he continued to torture _his son_ -

"No!" And he did what he was destined to do. What Obi-Wan had told him he was _meant_ to do, based on a prophecy. He was born by the will of the force to do exactly what he did just then: Destroy the sith. Destroy Palpatine. Darth Sidious. Whatever. Without any second thoughts, he destroyed him.

And when he collapsed, Luke helped him escape with him. He was instantly forgiving. Even though he'd spent years as the person who'd killed without a second thought, he realized that even as Anakin, he hadn't been so forgiving. His son could resist darkness where he could not.

Which was why he allowed his son to remove his helmet. It killed him.

But he died as Anakin Skywalker.

And for his sons survival, that was plenty.


End file.
